Beef producers pushed back on Wednesday after President Trump criticized high meat prices and announced plans to increase beef imports from Argentina, a move that has drawn sharp opposition from the U.S. cattle industry.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) issued a statement condemning the decision, arguing that it threatens the livelihood of American ranchers. The group accused the president and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins of undermining domestic producers through policies that would flood the market with cheaper foreign beef.
“America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive markets in the world,” the NCBA said in a post on the platform X. “U.S. producers take pride in providing the safest and highest-quality beef anywhere on the planet. We simply ask that the government not undercut them by importing more Argentinian beef to manipulate prices.”
The organization followed up with a statement urging the administration to redirect its focus toward domestic agricultural development—specifically the completion of the New World screwworm facility in Edinburg, Texas. The $750 million facility, first announced in August, will produce roughly 300 million sterile flies each week to combat the parasitic screwworm that poses a major threat to livestock across North and Central America.
In addition to calling for faster construction of the facility, ranchers are pressing the White House to prioritize disease prevention and biosecurity measures for U.S. cattle herds, including efforts to guard against foot-and-mouth disease. They also want the administration to reduce regulatory barriers that they say make it harder for American producers to compete globally.
The dispute highlights growing tension between the Trump administration’s trade strategies and the domestic agricultural sector. While the White House argues that import expansion could help balance prices for consumers, ranchers warn that short-term price manipulation risks long-term damage to family farms and the broader beef industry.